What is AudioNav?
AudioNav is the world's first hands-free,
eyes-free portable voice-interactive
GPS navigation system. |
 |
 |
How does the AudioNav
work?
AudioNav is completely portable and
plugs into the vehicle's cigarette lighter.
AudioNav may also be easily mounted
inside the vehicle. Through a tiny microphone,
the user tells AudioNav his/her destination
and AudioNav determines the best route,
and then gives verbal turn-by-turn driving
instructions. Destinations may be given
as an address, point of interest, or
intersection. Hundreds of point of interest
locations may be given, including hotels,
shopping malls, rental car agencies,
gas stations, ATMs restaurants, and
parks. AudioNav can even store a user's
own custom landmarks. |
|
Why doesn't AudioNav
sound like a computerized voice?
Because it doesn't use synthesized speech.
A real person recorded the street names,
landmarks and other points of interest.
That's quite an undertaking considering
there are more than 50,000 street names
in the Los Angeles area alone. Nationwide
there are hundreds of thousands. |
|
How does AudioNav
understand what the user says?
AudioNav converts your voice into a
digital format and compares that data
with features of words, letters, and
numbers it was trained to identify. |
|
How does AudioNav
figure out the best route?
Using street segment lengths and posted
street limits from a digital map, AudioNav
finds the quickest route from origin
to destination. |
|
Where does the map
information come from?
We license the map from NavTech, the
nation's leading digital map vendor. |
|
What are the advantages
of AudioNav?
AudioNav is the only navigation product
on the market that is entirely voice
activated, allowing for the safest possible
driving conditions. The driver never
has to take his/her eyes off the road
or hands off the steering wheel. AudioNav
is small and portable, allowing the
owner to easily take it from car to
car and from city to city. AudioNav
responds to queries with a human voice,
like a copilot in the passenger's seat,
not a synthesized computer voice. In
addition to getting you from point A
to point B, AudioNav also recognizes
many points of interest, such as ATMs,
restaurants, parks, hotels, shopping
malls, rental car agencies, gas stations
and more. Audio is the clear leader
among navigation systems and had received
considerable praise from the media and
industry professions for its portability,
affordability and safety. |
|
Can I use the AudioNav
map discs in my home computer?
No. The navigation map discs use a proprietary
CD-ROM format that can only be read
by the AudioNav. |
|
Can I use the AudioNav
to plan a route between different maps
(San Francisco to Portland)?
It depends. Newer version Audiovox and
PTL software contains Route USA, allowing
you to route from your current DCA to
a city in another DCA. For detailed
routing in another DCA you must insert
the activated map disc into the navigator
upon entering the new DCA. |
|
Why can't I enter
a freeway and a street as an intersection?
Currently intersections are only defined
as road segments that physically meet
at the same road level. If you wish
to navigate from a freeway, choose a
suitable intersection of streets nearby
that actually meet. |
|
|
What if I can't find the point
of interest that I am looking for?
Find the street address of the point
of interest and use that. While we
try to include all popular landmarks,
information provided to us by map
vendors may have changed since the
map was generated.
|
|
What sort of maintenance
is required to keep AudioNav in top
working condition?
No regular maintenance is required,
although it is a good idea to keep the
navigation disc clean and free of scratches. |
|
Does AudioNav need
to be mounted in the vehicle?
No. AudioNav does not required mounting
or permanent installation in order to
function properly. AudioNav is designed
to be portable, although it can be mounted
in the vehicle if so desired. AudioNav
will function properly and effectively
either way. |
|
How easily can AudioNav
be moved from one vehicle to another?
AudioNav is small, lightweight and can
be move from vehicle to vehicle in just
a few moments. It can also be taken
on business or pleasure trips when you
travel. Once inside your vehicle or
a rental car, the driver plugs AudioNav
into the cigarette lighter, properly
inserts the appropriate map CD and is
ready to go. No programming required,
no hassles. |
|
Does AudioNav know
the weight limitations of streets?
No. Neither weight nor height restrictions
on roadway use are provided to us by
our map suppliers. Our map supplier
has suggested that this information
may be provided with the maps in the
future, but no schedule for the release
of such map databases is currently available. |
|
Does AudioNav take
current traffic conditions into account?
AudioNav calculates the quickest route
to a chosen destination. It calculates
the route based upon mileage and posted
speed limits. AudioNav will always have
you take the quickest route using that
information. However, because AudioNav
does not know about the current traffic
conditions, it cannot take these into
account. We are currently working with
CUE, a provider of traffic information
and other data, and hope to have an
add-on module available for future navigation
systems. |
|
How difficult is it
to use the AudioNav?
Not difficult at all, but effective
use requires a small initial investment
of time of time to learn the correct
voice commands. Once you know the commands
and when to use them, the return on
your investment is enormous. We encourage
you to read the manual enclosed with
every AudioNav. |
|
What are some of the
features?
There are two modes of navigation: easy
and advanced. In the easy mode, there
isn't much to learn. In the advanced
mode, Navigator operates faster but
requires more precise voice commands
and an increased level of user knowledge. |
|
Do I have to train
AudioNav to learn my voice?
AudioNav is extremely forgiving and
accurate from the very first time you
speak to it. Simply speak in a natural,
normal voice and AudioNav's speaker-independent
technology understands. |
|
Is there a monthly
fee to use the GPS?
No. There is no monthly fee associated
with receiving the GPS signal. |
